Button



Nov, 26, 1935. A; c v cci-u 2,022,458

BUTTON Filed May 22, 1953 (a H v 4 Patented Nov. 26, 1935 UNITED STATES".

lVIy invention relates to buttons which have eyes, usually made from .wire, on their backs for fastening. The object of my. invention is to provide a wire eye which is open, so.'that the button can be readily attached and detached. .The:

usual upholstery button has an eye formed from a piece of wire. Both ends of the wire are secured in the body portion of the button,,and the center portion of the wire forms a loop or eye for fastening the button. 'A button with such an eye cannot be readily attached or detached, and the process of passing thread or cord through eye is a slow one. In upholstering, to attach such buttons at the present time, it isnecessa'ry to use an undesirably thin needle, which will pass through an undesirably large button eye. Where large eyes are not employed, it is necessary to take the twine from the needle, and pass the end of the twine through the eye; a slo'w and laborious operation.

On washable coats and uniforms, where an artistic. button is in demand, but whichis not adapted for laundering; a simply detachable button is necessary. An object of my invention is to provide a button that can be easily attached to and detached from coats.

Another object of the invention is to provide a button which can be readily attached to cordloops, such as are used on mattresses and cushions. In order to accomplish thesepurposes, my improved button has a wire shank, which is hooklike, which shank forms an eye for securing the button and a frictional passage for passing threads, cords, or loops, into the eye.

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating preferred forms of theinvention:

Figure 1 is a side view of the button showing the wire-hook shank, in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of an optional construction.

Figure 3 shows the wire-hook shank of Figure 1 attached to a difl'erent button-head.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the inside of the back of the button shown in Figure 3, showing how the end of the wire can be fastened.

Figure 1 shows the preferred form of the invention, a button manufactured from a furniture nail, which consists of a convex, sheetmetal disk, into which has been swaged one end of a short wire. The reference numeral 5 designates the body portion of the button. The wire shank 6 is attached to the button by its swaged end I; the other end of the wire, 8, is the free end. The pan 9 of the wire, is bent upon the part l in a,fhook,shape, to form the eye, II, and the frictional passageway 12. Cord to attach the, button is passedover the end 8, through the passageway l2,,and restsintheeye H. The passageway l2, isja frictional one," that is, the partsSLand H] of "the.wire, 'bear morepr less tightly against 'each oth er. Through the passage l2, cords or thread must be pulled with some [,effort, to overcome the friction, andthe same friction preventsvthe cord from casually or easily 10 escaping I The wire; of course? may be resilient, though 'thisis not, necessary, as. fibrous, cords and threads are compressible,,and expand when free of the passageway, and ,this expansion prevents the cords, or threads from escaping, The free, end oflthe wire, 8, is curved away. from the part It),

to form a guide for the cords'to the passage 12.

Figure v2 ,shows an optional construction of the butt'on-eye, wherein the, wire, shank 6, is :0

curved slightly spiraling so that ,the, part 9 crosses the part I 0, (forming; the frictional passageway at the crossing-point. Cord can be placed into the eye II, by passing it over the end 8, and then'by pulling it past the meeting points of the wire.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a button made from complementary parts, such as cloth covered buttons. Such buttons usually have a cap and a back, and are covered with cloth or enamel. A furniture nail, concaved, instead of convexed, could be used for such a complementary button back. But where the swaging of an end of the wire is not desired or necessary in order to attach the shank to the button, the method here shown for securing the end I of the shank can be employed. As also shown in Figure 4, the end of the wire shank 1, is inserted through the center of the button-back l4, and then bent at right-angles to the part ID of the wire, and against the inside of the button-back It. The projection, or lug, i3, having been previously struck up or cut from the button-back, is bent over the end I of the wire shank, holding it securely in place, preventing its escape or rotation. In a button of more than one part, the end I of the wire can be shaped in many ways to prevent it from escaping or rotating. The button eyes that have been heretofore described can be applied to buttons manufactured from plastic materials.

The button of my invention is very desirable in upholstery or mattress tufting, as the loop passed through the cushio may have its end very easily engaged over the pro ecting guiding end of the said projection.

eye and drawn through the friction passage into the eye. The end portions 8 and ill oi. the eye should touch, or at least be so close that the passage I! will be closed to the thread after the thread has passed into the eye, and the free extremity 8 should project past the shank l so as to be easily engaged by a loop or thread and direct the same into the eye.

The invention is not intended to be limited to the specific forms herein disclosed for the purposes of illustration, but should be regarded as covering modifications and variations thereof, within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A button provided on its back with an eye formed from a single strand of wire defining a shank secured to the button, and an eye atthe outer end of the shank, the free end portion of leading into the eye and irictionally engaging a,

securing thread drawn therethrough.

'2. A button provided on its back withfaaieye' formed from a single strand of wire defining a straight shank secured to the button, an'd'an eye at the end of the shank, the free end oi the tially close the eye and guide a securing thread into the eye and frictionally engage the thread as it passes to the eye, the shank and projecting end of the eye'resisting withdrawal ofthe thread.

3. Abutton having its back provided'with a central opening, and an overhanging projection eccentric to said opening, and an attaching eye having a shank passing through the central opening in the back of the button and engaged under 4. Afbutton provided onits back with a shank and an eye, theeye having one endfree and in diverging relation to the shank to guide a securing thread into the eye, and the free end portion being disposed in close proximity to the shank to substantially close the eye.

5. A button comprising a body, and a shank consisting of a strand of resilient wire rigidly secured to the body and extending rearwardly therefrom, said strand being bent to form an eye carried by the shank and the free end portion of the strand being bent to form a bill disposed in diverging relation to the shank for guiding a thread into the eye and being normally in close enough proximity to the shank to frictionally prevent a thread from slipping out of the eye.

6. A button comprising a body, a shank rigidly carried by and extending rearwardly from said body, and an eye carried by said shank and hav- 'inga iree end portion for guiding a thread into the eye,the free end portion of the eye being normally sufficiently close to the shank to frictionally retain a thread in the eye.

I ,7. A button comprising a body, a single strand shank extending from the back of said body and having one end rigidly secured to the body and held against rotation, and an eye carried by the "shank and having a free end portion disposed in diverging relation to the shank to guide a thread into the eye and'in close proximity to the shank strand projecting from the eye past the shank in juxtaposition tothe shank whereby to substanbeing bent to form an eye terminating in a free end portion disposed diagonally of theshank in close proximity'thereto' to substantially close the eye. I V

9. A button comprising a single ply body provided on its back witha shank and an eye, the

shank being riveted tov the body'and held against and confine the thread in the eye.

. ALBERT A. CAVICCHI 

